Course Description

*This selection is for the Final Exam only. Access to the book, Neuropsychology of Cognitive Decline, is required to complete the exam. If you already have access to the book, click the "Buy" button above to continue. To order the e-Book from Guilford Press (which enables you to take the course immediately), click here. To order the hardcover book from PRP, click here.

This program will present you with the best practices for assessment and intervention with older adults experiencing cognitive decline. The book draws on cutting-edge research and extensive clinical experience. The authors’ integrative approach skillfully interweaves neuropsychological and developmental knowledge. Guidelines for evaluating and differentiating among normal aging, subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and different types of dementia are presented. The volume identifies risk and protective factors that may influence an individual’s trajectory and describes how to create a sound case conceptualization. Evidence-based strategies for pharmacological, cognitive, behavioral, and psychological intervention with patients and their caregivers are illustrated with vivid case examples.

16 CE credits/hours, 128 questions 

Target Audience

Psychologists | School Psychologists | Marriage & Family Therapists | Mental Health Counselors | Social Workers

Learning Level

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

  • List the different theoretical approaches used when assessing and treating cognitive decline.
  • Summarize various lifestyle activities that are associated with better cognitive functions in later life.
  • Recognize the many factors that may increase the risk of cognitive decline or cognitive impairment in later life.
  • Discuss the expanding role of technology and ethical issues in the cognitive assessment of older adults, and the validity of these alternative modes of test administration.
  • Identify atypical cognitive deterioration using normative comparison standards, and analyze factors that need to considered when assessing cognitive impairment.
  • Define subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and discuss its risk factor for future development of dementia.
  • Summarize what mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is, and the current diagnostic approaches to MCI.
  • Describe how to conduct an assessment for dementia.
  • Discuss the use of medications in all stages of cognitive decline.
  • Explain the use of cognitive behavioral interventions for older adults at every stage of cognitive decline.
  • List the more commonly used or most empirically supported interventions to improve psychological and cognitive functioning in older adults.

Sections

  1. 1

    • Statement of Understanding (downloadable/printable)
  2. 2

    • Final Exam Questions (downloadable/printable)

    • Final Exam
  3. 3

    • Evaluation Questionnaire

About the Authors

Holly A. Tuokko, PhD

Holly A. Tuokko, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist, is Professor of Psychology and a member of the graduate faculty in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, where she is also a research affiliate of the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health. Prior to joining the University of Victoria, Dr. Tuokko was Supervising Psychologist at the Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders at UBC Hospital and worked on a geriatric mental health outreach team. She coordinated the neuropsychological component of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging and was awarded Senior Investigator status by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 2002 to 2007 for a program of research on mental health and aging, including the evolution of cognitive disorders. Dr. Tuokko was the Psychological Health theme leader for the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging from its inception until 2017.

Colette M. Smart, PhD

Colette M. Smart, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist, is Associate Professor of Psychology and a member of the graduate faculty in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, where she is also a research affiliate of the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health. Previously, Dr. Smart was a staff neuropsychologist and clinician-researcher at the Johnson Rehabilitation Institute and the Neuroscience Institute, both affiliates of JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. Her current research integrates her knowledge of aging and dementia with principles and practices of neurorehabilitation. Dr. Smart is a core member of the Subjective Cognitive Decline Initiative, an international working group of clinician-researchers, in which she focuses on the role of cognitive-experimental tests in detecting subjective cognitive decline, as well as nonpharmacological interventions such as mindfulness training.